A Madman's Will: John Randolph, Four Hundred Slaves, and the Mirage of Freedom

A Madman's Will: John Randolph, Four Hundred Slaves, and the Mirage of Freedom PDF Author: Gregory May
Publisher: Liveright Publishing
ISBN: 132409222X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 355

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Book Description
The untold saga of John Randolph’s 383 slaves, freed in his much-contested will of 1821, finally comes to light. Few legal cases in American history are as riveting as the controversy surrounding the will of Virginia Senator John Randolph (1773–1833), which—almost inexplicably—freed all 383 of his slaves in one of the largest and most publicized manumissions in American history. So famous is the case that Ta-Nehisi Coates has used it to condemn Randolph’s cousin, Thomas Jefferson, for failing to free his own slaves. With this groundbreaking investigation, historian Gregory May now reveals a more surprising story, showing how madness and scandal shaped John Randolph’s wildly shifting attitudes toward his slaves—and how endemic prejudice in the North ultimately deprived the freedmen of the land Randolph had promised them. Sweeping from the legal spectacle of the contested will through the freedmen’s dramatic flight and horrific reception in Ohio, A Madman’s Will is an extraordinary saga about the alluring promise of freedom and its tragic limitations.

A Madman's Will: John Randolph, Four Hundred Slaves, and the Mirage of Freedom

A Madman's Will: John Randolph, Four Hundred Slaves, and the Mirage of Freedom PDF Author: Gregory May
Publisher: Liveright Publishing
ISBN: 132409222X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 355

Get Book Here

Book Description
The untold saga of John Randolph’s 383 slaves, freed in his much-contested will of 1821, finally comes to light. Few legal cases in American history are as riveting as the controversy surrounding the will of Virginia Senator John Randolph (1773–1833), which—almost inexplicably—freed all 383 of his slaves in one of the largest and most publicized manumissions in American history. So famous is the case that Ta-Nehisi Coates has used it to condemn Randolph’s cousin, Thomas Jefferson, for failing to free his own slaves. With this groundbreaking investigation, historian Gregory May now reveals a more surprising story, showing how madness and scandal shaped John Randolph’s wildly shifting attitudes toward his slaves—and how endemic prejudice in the North ultimately deprived the freedmen of the land Randolph had promised them. Sweeping from the legal spectacle of the contested will through the freedmen’s dramatic flight and horrific reception in Ohio, A Madman’s Will is an extraordinary saga about the alluring promise of freedom and its tragic limitations.

The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series, Volume 16

The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series, Volume 16 PDF Author: Thomas Jefferson
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 069119985X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 789

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Book Description
This volume’s 571 documents cover both Jefferson’s opposition to restrictions on slavery in Missouri and his concession that “the boisterous sea of liberty is never without a wave.” Seeking support for the University of Virginia, he fears that southerners who receive New England educations will return with northern values. Calling it “the Hobby of my old age,” Jefferson envisions an institution dedicated to “the illimitable freedom of the human mind.” He infers approvingly from revolutionary movements in Europe and South America that “the disease of liberty is catching.” Constantine S. Rafinesque addresses three public letters to Jefferson presenting archaeological research on Kentucky’s Alligewi Indians, and Jefferson circulates a Nottoway-language vocabulary. Early in 1821 he cites declining health and advanced age as he turns over the management of his Monticello and Poplar Forest plantations to his grandson Thomas Jefferson Randolph. In discussions with trusted correspondents, Jefferson admires Jesus’s morality while doubting his miracles, discusses the materiality of the soul, and shares his thoughts on Unitarianism. Reflecting on the dwindling number of their old friends, he tells Maria Cosway that he is like “a solitary trunk in a desolate field, from which all it’s former companions have disappeared.”

Sketches of Some of the First Settlers of Upper Georgia, of the Cherokees, and the Author

Sketches of Some of the First Settlers of Upper Georgia, of the Cherokees, and the Author PDF Author: George Rockingham Gilmer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Broad River Valley (Ga.)
Languages : en
Pages : 470

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The R & B Indies

The R & B Indies PDF Author: Bob McGrath
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Boogie woogie (Music)
Languages : en
Pages : 732

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The Journal of Southern History

The Journal of Southern History PDF Author: Wendell Holmes Stephenson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic journals
Languages : en
Pages : 606

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Includes section "Book reviews."

Annual Report on Historical Collections, University of Virginia Library

Annual Report on Historical Collections, University of Virginia Library PDF Author: University of Virginia. Library
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Archives
Languages : en
Pages : 318

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Annual Report on Historical Collections

Annual Report on Historical Collections PDF Author: University of Virginia. Library
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Erie (Erie County, Pa.) City Directory ... Including Lawrence Park, Wesleyville, and Westminster ...

Erie (Erie County, Pa.) City Directory ... Including Lawrence Park, Wesleyville, and Westminster ... PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Erie (Pa.)
Languages : en
Pages : 1430

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McGehee Descendants

McGehee Descendants PDF Author: Ethel Clyde Woodall Grider
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 438

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Prices of Clothing

Prices of Clothing PDF Author: John M. Curran
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Clothing and dress
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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